Ensalada Rusa Guatemalteca (Russian Salad)

This chilled Ensalada Rusa or Russian Salad recipe is a well-liked facet dish for each event in Guatemala from a churrasco (barbecue social gathering) to Christmas holidays and every thing in between.

It’s a straightforward chopped vegetable salad made with tender potatoes, carrots, peas, and inexperienced beans with crisp veggies bathed in a creamy, tangy dressing with herbs and mustard.  

What’s Ensalada Rusa Guatemalteca?

Ensalada Rusa Guatemalteca (Russian Salad Guatemalan or Chapina fashion) originated in Russia within the 1860s and has made its approach around the globe from Spain to the Philippines.

Whereas there are various variations of this chilled potato and vegetable salad, in Latin America and the Caribbean all function potatoes, carrots, inexperienced beans, and peas in a light-weight aioli dressing. 

In Russia, it’s also referred to as Olivier Salad since Chef Lucien Olivier served it in his restaurant L’Hermitage in Moscow. 

It is a standard dish to serve at a churrasco Guatemalateco (Guatemalan barbecue) together with carne asada con chirmol, grilled inexperienced onions, grilled sausages, and pollo al carbon. However it’s equally standard as an appetizer salad together with shrimp ceviche or salpicon de mariscos.  

It’s tremendous straightforward to make and could be ready prematurely so it’s a good selection to serve with a hearty (labour-intensive!) Guatemalan stew resembling hilachas.

Why You’ll Love This Russian Salad Recipe

• Simple To Make Latin American Aspect Dish. If you happen to’re new to cooking meals from different cultures, this Russian salad is a superb place to begin! Ensalada Rusa is standard in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic, El Salvador and plenty of different international locations!
• Good Change to Common Potato Salad. If you happen to discover your potato salad a bit boring this Guatemalan model makes a pleasant change with numerous colour and a flavourful dressing.
• Nice Texture and Taste. The mixture of contemporary greens with others cooked to tender crispness provides ensalada rusa its signature crisp texture. The dressing is tangy and completely seasoned.

Substances

Making Ensalada Rusa (Guatemalteca or Chapina fashion) means utilizing largely contemporary components for the vegetable salad together with a easy dressing utilizing pantry staples.

They’re all straightforward to search out in any grocery retailer. Right here’s a have a look at the highlights however you’ll be able to see the whole checklist and portions within the recipe card.

• Carrots and Inexperienced Beans: Utilizing contemporary greens will lead to a a lot better texture on your dish.
• Potatoes: Use a waxy potato resembling Yukon gold or pink potato which can maintain up higher after cooking.
• Peas: Since contemporary peas are seasonal, frozen peas work nice.
• Celery and White Onion: Chopped up contemporary so as to add some fragrant taste to the dish.
• Bell pepper: A mixture of pink pepper and inexperienced pepper works nice for some further colour distinction in addition to a distinction in flavors.
• Mayonnaise: Use high quality gentle mayonnaise. I used Hellmans which is my desire. For an excellent lighter model, swap a ¼ cup of plain yogurt for the mayonnaise.
• Garlic: Use contemporary garlic for the most effective taste however strive to decide on one which’s extra delicate in taste so it’s not too overpowering within the dressing.
• White vinegar: Provides a little bit of tanginess to the dressing.
• Dijon mustard: Dijon is greatest for its distinctive and sophisticated taste.
• Seasoning: A easy mix of dried thyme, salt, and pepper brings all of the flavors collectively.

➡️ FUN FACT: The potato salad is so standard, the annual San Sebastian Gastronomika Euskadi Basque Nation Competition even hosts an annual Ensaladilla Rusa Championship for the most effective ensalada rusa within the nation.

It’s judged by luminaries resembling well-known Basque chef Martin Berasatagui. 

Ensalada Rusa Variations

There are a lot of variations of this facet dish relying on the place it’s being served. Right here’s a have a look at among the hottest!

• From Spain: If you wish to benefit from the Catalan model of this salad add capers, tuna, inexperienced olives, or pickles. Ensaladilla Rusa is usually discovered within the chilly part of tapas menus throughout Spain. At Tapas24 certainly one of Barcelona’s hottest eating places, Chef Carles Abellan’s l’ensaladilla rusa (championship winner of 2019) options tuna, inexperienced olives, and breadsticks.  
• As a Important Dish: In Guatemala, it’s standard to high the salad with slices of hard-boiled egg and revel in it as a meal. You might additionally add chopped rooster or some white beans to the salad to make it heartier for a essential dish.
• Ensalada Rusa Dominicana and Salvadoreña: Add one cup of cooked chopped beets (and an additional Tablespoon of mayonnaise) and stir so the whole salad is pink. 
• Including Beets: Some variations add beets however Ensalada Rusa Guatemalteca usually doesn’t. When it does, it’s known as Ensalada Rusa con Remolacha. 

Tips on how to Make Russian Salad Guatemalan-Type

1. Prep the greens: Peel and minimize the potatoes into small diced items and trim the inexperienced beans. The diced items must be uniform. Additionally chop the celery, pink and inexperienced peppers, and onion and set them apart.

2. Prepare dinner the Greens. Boil the carrots, potatoes, inexperienced beans, and peas individually refreshing the water with every batch. The greens must be agency however not mushy. After cooking, drain the new water, and immerse every vegetable in an ice water tub to cease the cooking course of. Drain the chilly water off and permit the cooked greens to chill and dry fully by spreading them on a paper towel on a big cookie sheet.

3. Make the Dressing. Mix the salad dressing components; mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper in a big bowl and blend till mixed.

4. Mix the Substances. Add the cooked and uncooked greens to a big bowl.
5. Combine It Up. Add the dressing and blend gently. At this level the salad is combined however give it a style and modify the seasonings as wanted. If it appears to be like too dry, add some chilly cream, milk, or water a tablespoon at a time till you attain the specified creamy consistency.

Permit the salad to chill for not less than an hour to provide the flavours time to merge. Garnish with parsley and serve.

How To Retailer

• Storage: Retailer the salad within the fridge in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days. It’s possible you’ll need to add a little bit of cream, milk, or mayonnaise if it appears a bit dry when serving leftovers. Don’t freeze leftover salad.
• Make Forward: You’ll be able to simply make Russian salad as much as a day prematurely. It’s going to truly style higher after having a while to take a seat. Give it stir and test the seasonings and consistency as it’s possible you’ll need to modify them barely.

Skilled Suggestions

• Don’t use frozen greens. Whereas it may be tempting to make use of frozen combined greens, resist the temptation! You get a lot better taste and particularly texture if you happen to use contemporary greens.
• Boil every of the greens individually. Potatoes, carrots, peas, and inexperienced beans take variable occasions to cook dinner. If you happen to cook dinner them collectively in a single pot some will develop into mushy. It’s price the additional funding in time to cook dinner them individually.
• Be at liberty to make changes. After it’s combined you’ll be able to all the time add extra mayonnaise or a little bit of cream or milk if you happen to really feel prefer it’s too thick. Additionally, try among the variations talked about above it’s possible you’ll need to strive.
• Chop the greens into uniform-sized items. This makes it a lot simpler to eat and it appears to be like higher.

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Russian Salad (Guatemalan Type)

This chilled Ensalada Rusa or Russian Salad recipe is an excellent standard facet dish for any event! It’s a straightforward chopped vegetable salad made with tender potatoes, carrots, peas and inexperienced beans with crisp veggies bathed in a creamy, tangy dressing with herbs and mustard.  

Prep Time10 minutes minutes

Prepare dinner Time20 minutes minutes

Whole Time30 minutes minutes

Course: Salad

Delicacies: Guatemalan

Weight loss plan: Vegetarian

Servings: 4

Energy: 175kcal

Value: $10

Prepare dinner ModeStop your display from going darkish

Directions

• The carrots and potatoes must be peeled earlier than dicing and inexperienced beans trimmed. The diced items must be uniform.

• Boil the primary 4 greens individually refreshing the water with every batch. The greens must be agency however not mushy. Drain and immerse every batch of greens in ice water tub to cease cooking course of. Drain once more.

• Permit cooked greens to chill and dry fully by spreading them on a paper towel on a big cookie sheet.

• Chop celery, pink and inexperienced peppers and onion.

• Combine salad dressing components of mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper) to make an aioli in a big bowl.

• Add cooked and uncooked greens to the aioli within the giant bowl and blend gently. Regulate seasoning. If it appears to be like too dry, add some chilly cream, milk or water by Tablespoon till creamy consistency is reached.

• Permit to chill for one hour for flavours to merge.

• Garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes

• Don’t use frozen greens. Whereas it may be tempting to make use of frozen combined greens, don’t do it. You get a lot better flavour and particularly texture if you happen to use contemporary greens.
• Boil every of the greens individually. Potatoes, carrots, peas and inexperienced beans take variable occasions to cook dinner. If you happen to cook dinner them collectively in a single pot some will develop into mushy. It’s price the additional funding in time to cook dinner them individually.
• Be at liberty to make changes. After it’s combined you’ll be able to all the time add extra mayonnaise or a little bit of cream or milk if you happen to really feel prefer it’s too thick. Additionally, try among the variations talked about above it’s possible you’ll need to strive.
• Chop the greens in uniform-sized items. This makes it a lot simpler to eat and it appears to be like higher.

Be aware: Dietary data will not be assured to be correct. It’s created by on-line calculators so figures are solely estimates.

Vitamin

Energy: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 5g | Fats: 7g | Saturated Fats: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 4g | Monounsaturated Fats: 1g | Trans Fats: 0.01g | Ldl cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 572mg | Potassium: 622mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 7037IU | Vitamin C: 72mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg

Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the closest tropical seaside), Michele Peterson is the founding father of A Style for Journey. Her award-winning journey and meals writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Supply, Nationwide Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ different publications.

Learn extra about Michele Peterson.